As a little girl, I was allowed to go with my mother (also a midwife) to watch babies in childbirth. I remember being 7 and picking up the phone…I would ask every how many minutes the contractions were coming.

It has been almost 40 years since I did my first delivery as an apprentice midwife. Between 1987 and 1997, I assisted more than 1,000 home births and 500 in the hospital. With many soon-to-be mothers, I puffed away contractions and massaged their backs; many babies felt my hands as their first touch. I am very grateful for this time in my life and all the wisdom I was able to gain there.

After the birth of my 4 children (between 1994 and 2004), I had to choose to quit midwifery due to health reasons. However, the love of pregnancy and childbirth never passed. I have oriented myself in other fields affiliated with conception, pregnancy, birth and trauma (Jaap van der Wal, Anna Verwaal, Mia Kalef, Gabor Maté and many others). Learned a lot about pre- and perinatal psychology and experienced being able to really connect with that time. I have become aware that this period in our lives is a foundation that defines much of the rest of our lives. All kinds of imprints, and by that I mean survival patterns that are already laid there, determine the foundation on which we build our lives….